| Meet Gromit, the 1969
Austin 1800 'Landcrab'* *'Landcrab' is
Albanian for 'big Mini' |
|
| I found this car by way of a friend of a friend for
a piddly $200 CDN (about $0.05 US ;-). It'd lived its life in the very dry
southern part of Alberta and consequently had absolutely no rust: unheard
of in a 30 year old British car! It was complete, but needed a few parts to
get it road worthy most of which came from a rusty parts car. |
|
| The major problem with the body was that it had hit
something stout on the RF corner. Amazing how handy a port-a-power, come-along
and telephone pole are when doing body work. |
|
| The power plant was in pretty good shape. Since the
exhaust was nonexistent I had Maniflow
build me a Works type LCB system. The twin HS4 carbs are straight off an
MGB. This spring saw a fresh power unit installed: High compression pistons,
Piper 270 cam, Isky pushrods, nitrided crank, TONS of head work and complete
gearbox overhaul. For a big British saloon car, this thing SCOOTS! With the
additon of 6x15 steel wheels made by Early Wheel
and 195/65-15 Bridgestone tyres the handling is very Mini like. |
|
| This was the worst bit of the car. Although the sh*t
brown upholstery survived quite well, mice had found this a lovely home for
several years. Those massive sills were nearly full of poop and nests... disgusting.
Took nearly a week to gut the car, vacuum it out and disinfect it. Apparently
Mice don't like eating wiring or upholstery. Courtesy of another friend I
also acquired a Les Leston steering wheel, very sporty! |
|
Many thanks to Steve
Dix for this caracature
|
Here's a look at the wheels supplied
by Bridgestone tyres that make the car handle
just like a giant Mini.
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